Dozens of Lawsuits Seek to Force Hospitals to Treat COVID-19 with Ivermectin

By Rachel Scully

At least 24 lawsuits have been filed nationwide to compel hospitals to administer ivermectin to patients infected with COVID-19. The lawsuits typically involve families that received a prescription for the drug, but hospitals refused to treat patients with it. Several of the lawsuits were filed by Buffalo, N.Y.-based lawyer Ralph Lorigo, who asserts that hospital executives should have final say over using ivermectin on COVID-19 patients. He filed his first cases in January, when the families of a hospitalized 80-year-old woman and a hospitalized 65-year-old woman sought his help. In both cases, judges ruled to give the women ivermectin; both survived their hospital visits. Ivermectin has FDA approval for treating certain parasites in people but not for COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state health departments, and drug maker Merck have also warned against its use against COVID-19. FDA has warned that taking ivermectin in large doses can cause serious adverse effects, such as seizures, vomiting, and even death. However, Lorigo said his clients have not requested that type of dose. Other judges have refused to order hospitals to administer the drug. For their part, hospitals say their standards of care do not permit physicians to administer a drug not yet approved for COVID-19, noting it could potentially result in harm. Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine, observed: "You can't have a medical field that's subjected to having to practice according to patient demand backed up by court orders."

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